Amazon, which is developing drones to make package deliveries, received its long-awaited experimental airworthiness certificatefrom the FAAon Thursday. The approval allows Amazon to test its unmanned aerial systems in the U.S. while proposed commercial drone regulations await the rulemaking process. The certificate, requested by Amazon in July, allows the company to make flights no higher than 400 feet and within line of sight of the operator. The flights will be restricted to daylight hours in visual conditions. The person flying the UAS also must have at least a private pilot certificate and a current medical certificate.
As with all FAA-granted UAS experimental airworthiness certificates, Amazon must provide monthly data to the FAA under its certificate, reporting the number of flights, pilot duty time per flight, “unusual hardware or software malfunctions, any deviations from air traffic controllers’ instructions, and any unintended loss of communication links.” After announcing last year that its “Prime Air” delivery vehicles are under development, Amazon has used testing sites outside the country and posted job ads searching for flight engineers and pilots.
